Blockbuster to launch set-top box?

AppleTV, Netflix on LG, Tivo, XBox 360, Vudu and now Blockbuster? …the list goes on.

The latest company thought to be readying its own Internet TV set-top box plans is Blockbuster, according to Hollywood Reporter. The new “set-top device for streaming films directly to TV sets” could be announced as early as this month, and would utilize the company’s recent acquisition of online movie service Movielink, giving users access to over 3,000 film titles from major Hollywood studios Paramount, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros. and MGM.

As Zatz Not Funny notes, while linking an online movie service to the television is what lots of consumers want, yet another set-top box probably isn’t. Instead, it would make much more sense for Blockbuster to partner with an existing hardware/online service player (or TV manufacturer?), rather than rolling out a device of their own. If they are in fact going solo, the box itself will need to be heavily subsidized if the new offering is to take off.

Blockbuster declined to comment but a spokesperson told Hollywood Reporter: “We’re talking to numerous companies and vendors about products, services, alliances and initiatives that can help us achieve our mission to transform Blockbuster into a company that provides access to media content across multiple channels — from our stores, by mail, through kiosks, through downloading, through portable content-enabled devices– so it’s not surprising that there are rumors out there.”

That’s hardly a denial.

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last100 is edited by Steve O'Hear. Aside from founding last100, Steve is co-founder and CEO of Beepl and a freelance journalist who has written for numerous publications, including TechCrunch, The Guardian, ZDNet, ReadWriteWeb and Macworld, and also wrote and directed the Silicon Valley documentary, In Search of the Valley. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.

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